Waterways to be managed by new charity

The Environment Agency's waterways will transfer to a new waterways charity, the government announced in parliament today.

Minister for Inland Waterways Richard Benyon gave the decision in a written ministerial statement.

It will see the creation of a waterways charity along the lines of the National Trust.

Currently around 75% of waterways in England and Wales are managed by British Waterways, a cross-border public corporation and the Environment agency.

Last October, the government announced that British Waterways in England and Wales would move from a public corporation to the new charity.

The Government will shortly launch a consultation on setting up the new charity. It is intended that the charity be set up in April 2012 with the Environment Agency's navigations to transfer to the new charity in 2015/16.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said that any transfer would be subject to the agreement of the charity's trustees and only occur if it was affordable to do so. Alison Brown